Japan Update

Various companies in our industry have corporate ties to Japan, and the publishers of The Big Picture extend our concern and best wishes for the businesses, employees, and all others affected by Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami.

As those companies are able to provide updates to their situation to their US counterparts, to us directly or to the world at large via their corporate websites, we’ll update that information here. We welcome any information to post.

To make a donation to the victims of this recent event, please visit the American Red Cross 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Crisis Response at americanredcross.org.

CanonIn a press release dated March 15, Canon reports that the earthquake had the greatest impact on three Canon Inc. operation sites and five Canon Group companies, all located in northern Honshu (the area hardest hit by the earthquake). The company is taking action to realize the earliest possible start of operations – “at this time, concrete schedules for when production may resume have yet to be determined,” Canon reports. The companies include: Canon Precision, Canon Optron, Canon Chemicals Tsukuba and Iwama plants, and Fukishima Canon; the operation sites include the Utsunomiya office, the Toride plant, and the Ami plant.

Operations resumed as usual for Canon plants and group companies in the western half of Honshu, says the company, “and the company is working to ascertain whether or not there will be any impact on production at each location.”

“With regard to the Japanese government's requests for cooperation in conserving electricity, in addition to the energy-saving measures Canon promotes as a matter of course, the company has also called on its employees to make every effort to conserve electricity in their homes.”

Canon Inc. has established an Earthquake Disaster Recovery Task Force and begun taking related measures, including a prompt review and drafting of comprehensive recovery plans (spanning development, production and sales operations, for relevant operating sites). And, for those sites receiving the most earthquake damage, the task force will consider making use of alternate sites that were not damaged by the earthquake as a means of continuing production.